The present invention relates generally to a system for augering a hole in the surface of the earth, retaining the soil which is removed from the hole, and then automatically backfilling the hole with the displaced soil. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus which automatically augers a plurality of holes into the surface of the earth and entraps the soil removed from the holes so that a separate root control bag, or container, may be placed into each hole. Once the root control bags have been placed into the holes, the device then automatically drops the earth removed from the holes into root control bags within the holes.
When holes are augered into the earth, it is often so that an object may be placed in the hole. It is often then desirable to immediately backfill the hole with the removed earth or soil. Many devices are known in the art which auger a hole and place the earth removed from the hole immediately about the edge of the hole on the surface of the earth. Typically, the hole is then backfilled manually. This general approach, however, has proven to be expensive, labor intensive, and extremely time consuming, especially when a large number of holes have to augered and then backfilled.
Typically, when plants are grown in the field for subsequent transplanting, it has proven to be very expensive to auger a multitude of holes, plant seeds or seedlings in the holes, and then backfill the holes by hand. Similarly, when root control bags are used, it is likewise very expensive to auger a hole, place the bag in the hole, and then manually backfill the bag in the hole. The present invention, however, has made it possible to carry out such operations with large savings of time and expense. The invention, therefore, has particular application to the plant growing or nursery industry. A recent development in that industry involves confining the roots of a growing plant by a root control bag. This development is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,522 to Reiger et al. When operating according to the Reiger concept, a hole is excavated in the earth, a non-woven, porous, fabric root control bag is inserted into the hole, and the hole is then backfilled manually with the earth which has previously been in the hole, thereby filling the root control bag. A seed or seedling is planted in the earth contained within the bag.
While the process of the Reiger patent has certain advantages over the prior art, it is nevertheless marked by high labor costs and excessive time requirements.